I’m starting my tour of college football with a look at the Boston College Eagles, the first team in ABC order in the up-and-down, sometimes confusing ACC. And while Boston College might not captivate a national audience, the Eagles do get a chance to pull an upset or two once the season turns to November.
That’s why it’s important to get to know them now, whether you’re going to be gambling, a college football junkie, or a Notre Dame or Miami (FL) fan with national championship aspirations.
HEAD COACH:
- Bill O’Brien (9-16 at Boston College, entering year three)
- Last year, the Eagles were 2-10, 1-7 in the ACC. Their one ACC victory was against a Steve Angeli-less Syracuse Orange.
- BC has not had a winning record in conference play since 2009.
QUARTERBACK:
Dylan Lonergan, now at Rutgers, looked like he was going to set the world on fire. He threw 8 touchdowns in BC’s first two games, and on my daily TikTok show, I remember saying that this was not the same BC offense. Lonergan had nearly 400 yards in a week 2, 2OT loss to Michigan State.
And then he had 333 yards in a loss to Stanford, giving him 991 yards through three weeks. As it turns out, that was one of my worst predictions of the year.
By week 5, he was getting pulled from the Pittsburgh game, BC’s fourth straight loss. BC lost 10 in a row before beating the Angeli-less Orange in the final week of the year, led by senior Grayson James at QB, not Lonergan.
Lonergan is now a Scarlett Knight, and the BC offense will turn to one of three guys – Mason McKenzie, Grayson Wilson or Femi Babalola.
McKenzie is a transfer from Saginaw State who threw for 4300 yards, 31 TDs and 17 INTs last season. He’s exactly the kind of player you take a flyer on when your program is among the hardest to recruit at in the Power 4. However, playing at Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium in front of 6,800 fans (when it’s at capacity) is going to be very different from playing at Hard Rock Stadium 60,000+ fans. He also can move if he gets flushed from the pocket.
Wilson is a redshirt freshman who spent his first year at Arkansas. He did not get any game action with the Razorbacks. He was a former four-star prospect out of high school and the number two overall prospect from the state of Arkansas, per 247 Sports.
Babalola is a three-star prospect who also plays basketball and competes in track and field.
THE REST OF THE OFFENSE
Only one offensive player returns, offensive lineman Michael Crounse, who ranked 606th in Pro Football Focus’s offensive linemen rankings. He allowed 13 quarterback pressures and plays all of his 632 snaps at center, per PFF.
Running back Evan Dickens, who was third in the nation in rushing at Liberty, figures to be the focal point of the offense. He had 1,339 yards last season and 16 touchdowns on 229 carries. I always like to evaluate non-Power 4 players by how they played against a Power 4 opponent, but that’s impossible for Dickens. Liberty’s toughest game last year was against playoff-bound James Madison, and he had 17 carries for 67 yards in that game. He finished the season on a tear, with over 100 yards in five straight games and over 200 in three of the five games. He had 267 yards against Kennesaw State in the season finale on 43 carries.
He is a breath of fresh air for a BC team that threw the ball 57% of the time last year, 10th most in college football.
Wide receiver Jackson Wade, a preferred walk-on at Florida, has now transferred to BC and was a spring standout. He played 62 snaps for the Gators last year, mostly all on special teams.
DEFENSE
Ted Roof, who has decades of coaching experience and helped lead the Cam Newton-led Auburn Tigers to the BCS National Championship game, is now the BC defensive coordinator.
And he has his hands full.
BC gave up nearly 35 points and 450+ yards per game last season, among the worst in the nation. The Eagles gave up 5.3 yards per rush and allowed opponents to complete over 65% of their passes. Ouch.
Four players are back on defense – DB Carter Davis, DB Isaiah Farris, DL Chris Marable and DB KP Price. The Eagles also brought in reinforcements via the transfer portal in Anthony Palano (Washington State), Bodie Kahoun (Notre Dame) and Kris Jones (Georgia). Palano is the most accomplished in college from that trio, playing in 18 career games at Washington State and South Dakota State. In 12 games (seven starts) with the Cougars, he had 65 tackles, four QB pressures and two pass breakups. Jones was previously the number two overall prospect from the state of Virginia. The defensive end played two seasons for Kirby Smart at UGA, appearing in 14 games, including the Sugar Bowl.
SCHEDULE
There is some good news if you’re a Boston College fan. In an ACC that now includes two schools in the Pacific Time zone, the Eagles won’t make a trip to either Stanford or California this year. But trips to Notre Dame and Miami highlight an insanely tough November. You may be talking about BC around the Thanksgiving table this year, but it might be because you’re wondering if they can hang around with a top 5 team – twice.
Even while opening at Cincinnati, BC plays four of its first six games at home. The only other road trip in that span is the long trek to SMU, which figures to be a contender with Kevin Jennings back.
The home opener on Sept. 11 includes a return of Lonergan, as Rutgers comes to Chestnut Hill. BC takes on Maine in week three and then gets James Franklin-led Virginia Tech on Sept. 26. Many will be watching how Franklin fares in year one with the Hokies.
Four of BC’s final 6 games are on the road, with trips included to Georgia Tech, Duke, Notre Dame and Miami. The only home games in that stretch are against Florida State and Syracuse, and I expect the Orange not to be quarterback-less this time around, as they were in 2025.
OUTLOOK
There are some things to like here, but it feels like BC is trying to push a boulder uphill – and the mountain keeps getting larger. The ACC is improving. Yes, Duke won it in 2025 in a weird five-team tiebreaker, but Miami (FL) made the national title game and is again reloading.
O’Brien needs to find a quarterback and Dickens could be the key to the offense at running back.
The defense needed reinforcements, and they found them. Jones was highly recruited and has been in huge games at UGA. Maybe he can be a star. They need them.
And the schedule feels daunting. Early season games at Cincinnati and Rutgers feel winnable, and if BC hopes to go to a bowl game, they have to be, because nothing stands out as a sure win on this entire schedule after the Maine game.
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